This French Life

Tour de France 2006 route

THE route for next year’s Tour de France has been announced with the opening day’s racing starting in Strasbourg.

The classic race will take place from July 1 – 23 and will start in the east of France before heading through Luxemburg and into Belgium.

Review of the Air France website

IT is always worth checking some of the bigger players when searching for cheap flights.

And with 35 daily scheduled flights out of the UK, serving 16 UK airports, Air France can be easily considered one of the biggest.

News from France

HERE is a selection of news items from the internet covering recent events in France.

Riot rocks Paris suburb

France outlaws tobacco tourism

Cat sails to France

French unemployment falls

THE number of people out of work in France has fallen for the sixth month running.

Figures from the statistics office INSEE show that the current unemployment rate is 9.8% down from the figure of 10.2% six months ago.

Recent measures introduced by the government to make it easier to dismiss staff are being seen as one of the reasons behind the small fall.

Site for Cheapflights

THINGS have been a bit slow on the site in the last couple of days but there is a reason.

I have been busy working away on a new blog-style website for the travel firm Cheapflights.

The site provides news and information about the new routes and latest deals being offered by US airlines.

Take a look around:  http://news.cheapflights.com

Tracking down fuel costs

AS the cost of oil increases across the world its impact is felt at the petrol pump and in the cost of heating your home.

Being able to plan ahead and forecast the price may help you out and a French government website could offer you some advice.

Ban on outdoor poultry rearing

THE government has announced a ban on the outdoor rearing of poultry covering around a quarter of France to combat the spread of bird flu.

The agriculture minister Dominique Bussereau said the ban would come into operation in 21 departments that may face particular problems from migratory birds.

Oldest castle up for sale

THE oldest castle in France is on the market for those who want to lead the life of a knight, but have a king’s ransom to pay for it.

Le Donjon du Faucon Noir, in the village of Montbazon near Tours, has been put up for sale by its English owners for just over £1 million.

Churches on French stamps

THERE is a very interesting article about the history of French churches as portrayed through her stamps on the Stanley Gibbons website.

The piece looks at many of the churches and cathedrals you would recognise such as Nôtre Dame, but also many that are hidden away or found perched on hillsides.

The frogs and the rosbifs

IT is always entertaining to see how the love-hate relationship between the French and English is played out in the press.

The BBC takes a look at the battle between the ‘frogs and the rosbifs’ but as one reader comments the Scots and Welsh don’t seem to have any problems.